An Armed Society

Robert Anson Heinlein wrote, “An armed society is a polite society.” He was envisioning a world where people would carry sidearms openly and would be trained to handle them. In March 2018, Florida’s governor signed a bill that would allow selected instructors in a school to be armed. The idea behind the bill is toRead More

Legislation and Child Rearing

Perhaps there is no area of legislation, law enforcement and social consideration of greater consideration or more hotly debated than those governing domestic considerations, especially child rearing. Legislation and child rearing have gone hand in hand before but are rarely comfortable partners. The challenge is to define that thin, narrow line between protecting children andRead More

Summer Days, Hot Cars, and the Law

As summer winds down to an end, cars parked along streets and in parking lots can reach alarming temperatures in a big hurry. On a balmy 80-degree Fahrenheit day, temperatures in a vehicle with the windows rolled up can reach an alarming 130 to 178 degrees – definitely warm enough to be life-threatening. A Mother’sRead More

Poethics: A Study in Law and Literature

There is the literature of law – the heavy tomes that recount case studies, interpretations of legislation, historical court cases and other legal situations; then there is law in literature, fictional, biographical or non-fiction stories in which legal ramifications loom large in the narration, or which deal directly with points of law. Add to thatRead More

Is It Time to Axe Bite-Mark Testimony?

Evidence in Criminal Proceedings Evidence is the mainstay for timely resolution of criminal proceedings. It provides the agreeable stand on which the court—judge(s) or jury—makes convictions and acquittals. Understandably, evidence admitted for consideration exists in different forms. Traditionally, these forms include testimony of witnesses, video and/or image data, and forensic evidence—DNA or bite-mark testimony. HowRead More